Customer Reviews

The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Going over games that are well analyzed is a good way to learn all parts of chess (openings, middle games and endgames all with all the tactics, traps and positional play involved). Although this is not a book that uses analysis of every move, which is my favorite type of book (such as "Logical Chess" or "Unbeatable Chess Lessons"), the games contain enough analysis at important points to make it a worthwhile book. My only real complaint is that the book is made really cheaply with cheap paper and a very tight binding that forces you to really press to keep it open. This is a book deserving a better quality production. The contents are very good (4 stars) the paper and tight binding is rather poor (2 stars).

This is the "games collection" that I have been waiting years to find! It is a book of 100 chronologically-ordered, heavily annotated chess games, which the three authors decided upon through some sort of weighted voting system, in which Graham Burgess annotated 50, John Nunn 25, and John Emms 25. It is not a "mammoth"-sized book; it is about the size of a typical bestseller paperback, though somewhat wider. To give you an idea of where the historical concentration of games occurs, Game 1 is from 1834, Game 25 is from 1926, Game 50 is from 1963, Game 75 is from 1981, and Game 100 is from 1997. The most heavily-represented players are Mikhail Tal (11 games), Bobby Fischer (9), Garry Kasparov (8), Anatoly Karpov (8), Jose Capablanca (6), Emanuel Lasker (6), and Boris Spassky (6). I would have expected to see more games from Paul Morphy (0 games!), Adolph Anderssen (2), Harry Pillsbury (2), Tigran Petrosian (2), Wilhelm Steinitz (3), and Alexander Alekhine (4). From those lists, you can probably infer that the book is somewhat skewed toward the modern games. On the other hand, there are only three Karpov-Kasparov games, which surprised me. There is a lot of analysis in the games, with plenty of biographical descriptions and "color". Despite the fact that three different authors did the annotating, there is a very "uniform" feel to the games; it doesn't read like it's three disjointed authors. Maybe that's because three people did the analyzing and one person did the writing.

My favorite historical collection of annotated games was always Tartakower & du Mont's famous collection of 500 games, plus a supplemental book of 100 more games, but those left off at around 1950. For a long time those two books were my chess Bible, and so I knew hardly anything about players like Tal, Fischer, Karpov, and Kasparov, let alone the less famous players who still had played some amazing games in modern times.

Sure, there are several modern collections of games (especially "Winning Chess Brilliancies" by Yasser Seirawan, "Modern Chess Brilliancies" by Larry Evans, and "The Art of Chess Analysis", by Jan Timman), and plenty of collections of best games of individual players, from Paul Morphy to Alexei Shirov. However, I hadn't yet found an individual book that gave you this kind of in-depth perspective across chess history into modern times. This book ranges from the famous 1834 McDonnell-de la Bourdonnais 62nd match game with the three black pawns side by side on the seventh rank, all the way through to games of the last couple of years, like Viswanathan Anand's great attacking games against Anatoly Karpov in 1996 and Joel Lautier in 1997. I think that there is real value, both entertaining and instructive, in seeing comments from the same authors on such a wide chronological range of games.

Furthermore, it is very rare to see such modern analysis of older games. Few books released these days seem to cover any games before the 1960's. Often there seems to have been very little added to some of the analysis that was "state-of-the-art" sixty years ago. Most exceptions seem to be connected with John Nunn, like the several algebraic reprints of "Best Game" collections which he has touched up and footnoted, in addition to the new material which he added on to the end of Max Euwe's "The Development of Chess Style." I liked this book best, however, because it covers such a wide range of players, games, and eras.

I am very grateful that there are chess writers out there willing to re-examine older games in a modern light, not stopping after pointing out where opening theory has evolved beyond that game, but also continuing on with new analysis of the middle game and end game positions that occurred (or could have) in the game. My greatest chess interest lies in viewing how chess mastery has evolved over the decades, and this book does a better job than any other single book of illustrating that evolution. My only quibble, and it is a small one, is that I would have liked to have seen more older games. I was surprised to find no games at all by Paul Morphy, but Macon Shibut's "Paul Morphy and the Evolution of Chess Style" is a fantastic modern book which covers many of Morphy's games, and so I, in possession of both books, am happy. I only wish that the authors of "The Mammoth Book of the World's Best Chess Games" had done 500 games rather than 100. Maybe we'll see a sequel! In any event, at less than a dime per game for classic games with lots of interesting annotations, this particular book is a great deal. Some of the notes and variations may go beyond beginning players, but it's fun anyway to play over the games and read what experts have to say about them, even if you don't follow all of the conclusions. So I would really recommend this book to anyone with much of an interest in chess history.

This book contains selected games. Both of the masters of new, old all great which will help your ability to checkmate! One Hundred and Twelve games analyzed games study, alone or with your best buddy. The analysis though not real deep makes is light enough for your mind to keep. Want deeper analysis using games get books by Nunn (Understanding Chess) or by Snyder ("Unbeatable Chess Lessons for Juniors"). They are move by move both fun and the the analysis more tighter. These days when it comes to books with games and good analysis you have many to choose so start reading them all it's no time to snooze.

Now down to real business! "The Mammoth Book" contains a wide variety of games over a long time span by many strong players. The analysis ranging from light to moderate in depth is for an intermediate level to stronger player level. This is not a down to basics level book. I was disapointed only in that the book was made out of really cheap paper and is hard to keep open when using (why four instead of five stars). True, I prefer the "every move commented on approach" used by Chernev, Nunn and Snyder, but "the Mammoth book" is still excellent.

This is a very well-written, informative, and entertaining book about 100 of the greatest chess games (112 games for this 2nd edition) of all time. It not only has detailed and colorful analysis of the games, but also interesting background information of both the games and the players involved in them.

I recommend this for any serious chess player, but there is a slight problem in that it assumes that the reader has at least a general background knowledge of chess opening theory, and thus it may be a little too advanced for beginners. Beginners may want to first consult the companion volume, "The Mammoth Book of Chess," by the same author.

THE WORLD'S GREATEST CHESS GAMES. Edited by Graham Burgess, John Nunn, and John Emms. Foreword by Vishy Anand. 560 pages. Mammoth Book Series. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1998. ISBN 0-7867-0587-6 (pbk).

Although 'One Hundred of The World's Greatest Chess Games' might have been a more appropriate title - since everyone is going to quibble about the editors' selections, and, as others have pointed out, their omission of even a single game by Paul Morphy is inexcusable - this book provides what is without doubt one of the finest and most instructive game collections of all.

Starting with the incredibly interesting McDonnell - Labourdonnais (London 1834) - with its final position which "once seen, is never forgotten: three passed pawns on the seventh rank overpowering a hapless quuen and rook" - and ending with the Anand - Lautier (Biel 1997), the collection includes the some of finest games of many of the best chess players the world has seen. Although you're not going to find all of your favorites here, you'll find many of them. And unfamiliar names such as Nezhmetdinov will probably end up becoming new favorites.

Each game is prefaced by biographical information about the players; short but interesting accounts of the circumstances surrounding the game; and a description of whatever special characteristics the game might have. We are, in other words, given not only text but context, that living context without some knowledge of which we will never be able to fully appreciate the brilliancies (and blunders) of these games. The book is further enriched by the very full annotations which the editors have provided.

These annotations seem to me to be masterful, and to strike a perfect balance between verbal comment and analysis. For beginners, there is plenty of verbal comment to help them understand what is happening throughout the game, comment that seems to me to be about as illuminating and helpful as you can get. More seasoned players will appreciate the editors' often fairly lengthy analysis of variations, analysis which attempts to summarize the best and most recent thought about particular lines and helps lead us to a deeper understanding of the finer points in these games.

But it gets better, for not only is the content of this book exceptional, so is its layout, a layout clearly designed for ease of readabilty. Well-printed in double columns using figurine algebraic notation, each move of the game has been given its own separate line in BOLD type. Diagrams are plentiful, large, and clear. Even the file (a - h) and rank (1 - 8) designations have been printed respectively both above and below and on the left and right of each diagram.

Unfortunately, as a mass market paperback on poor quality paper, it comes with that special contribution to the modern reader's hell - narrow inner margins and a glued spine which seems intended to automatically self-destruct at some point. But you can't have everything, and one added point of interest is that the 100 games have been annofritzed (Ossimitz) and the zip file is freely available for download on the Web.

Even though I already own a few "great chess games" books, I feel this is an awesome addition to my library. This is a book that not only entertains but educates. I enjoyed the verbal explanations of plans, move orders, and thematic summaries of "lessons learned." I felt confident that the authors had not simply rewritten previous annotators' analysis' but checked detailed move variations for tactical flaws (with computer assistance not available in the past). For example, the Reti-Alekhine (Baden-Baden, 1925) game is analysed by the Grandmaster authors with the help of computer chess software, not to diminish Alekhine's abilities but to aid in seeing how complicated the game was. I finished the book with a better appreciation of the accomplishments of world-class players and I would recommend this book to advanced beginners and beyond.

This review pertains specifically to the first edition. I do not have the second edition and probably will not buy it because I will probably never finish learning everything that I can from the first! I really like the book and have learned much so far. The selection of games is very good and that analysis is good. Based upon some of the other reviews here, it may not be perfect analysis, but it is very good. At first I thought that the biographies were unnecessary because anyone who could use this book would know about the players, but then I learned quite a bit there too. A very good book and at a very reasonable price.

If one wants to get collections of chess games, there are other books than this one. For example, one could get the Tartakower volume of 500 games. But I like this book, with only 112 games, a little better.

The book makes use of analyses from the players and others. More important, the authors used a few good chess programs to improve their understanding of these games. That's a big plus. And so, what we see is a bunch of really good fights.

Is this the best way to learn chess? Well, tough fights are a big part of chess. There is more to chess than that, of course. There are books that show how to get big advantages in the opening against tepid play by one's opponent. There are even a few that show how to try to get draws with White against stronger opponents. And there are books that show how to restrict your opponent to a few lines that you can learn extremely well, so that you can survive the opening against anyone weaker than a Master.

Still, this book has games by some great players, and it is fun to play through them. In addition, a few of the games have openings that may have special appeal to some readers. There are more than twenty Sicilian defences, and seven Semi-Slav defences.

The nine players (in alphabetical order) that have at least six games in this book are Anand, Capablanca, Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov, Lasker, Spassky, Tal, and Topalov. Fans of those players will get to see some detailed analyses of some of their best games.

How strong does one need to be to get anything out of this book? Well, I have a simple answer for that. You need to be a candidate expert (an "A-player") or at least aspire to be one. If you plan to improve at chess, why not see what good chess looks like and see what kinds of styles of play appeal to you? If you are really ambitious, do some of your own analysis and see if you can come up with better lines.

I recommend this book.

The title of this book, "The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games," may conjure the image of an oversized coffee table book or, more likely, a compendium of sensational chess games of the sort Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld used to write in a week or two, e.g., "1,000 Chess Brilliancies," chess entertainment on a par with America's Funniest Home Videos. And that probably explains why I overlooked its earlier editions. I recommend you not make the same mistake, as this book is a finely polished gem.

The book contains many great chess classics, famous games of former world champions we've all seen published elsewhere, as well as many outstanding games of lesser masters; games, old and new, with which I wasn't familiar. The 125 games are the authors' selections as history's "greatest" games, which is not to be confused with the most flawless games ever played. The most flawless games, almost by definition, would be games that end in perpetual check or liquidate into drawn endgames, and I don't recall there being a single draw in this book. These games are all flawed in some way, meaning they represent the very best the human mind has to offer.

One cannot reasonably critique the book based on the authors' game selections -- after all, this is a book about chess as art, not chess as science -- so I'll resist the temptation to debate the subject. It's highly improbable that any two people on earth would select precisely the same inventory of the 125 greatest anything where subjectivity is concerned: cities, novels, paintings, baseball players, or chess games. My list would probably include a couple of Morphy's masterpieces and Fischer-Spassky 1972, game 13, but, as I said, I'll resist the urge...

These are unquestionably brilliant games, all. Some were selected because they featured sensational sacrificial combinations, though they are far subtler and more artful than the forced-mate-in-three opening swindles Irving Chernev gushed about. Others were included because of opening novelties that laid waste to decades of accepted opening theory. Still others were brilliant defensive efforts, an underappreciated genre. A game that combined these last two themes is the famous Capablanca-Marshall game in which Marshall sprang his extensively prepared opening gambit against the Ruy Lopez, which Capablanca managed to refute over-the-board.

My favorite theme of all is the relentlessly sustained pursuit of a tense initiative over a long series of moves, wherein the defense is offered many defensive attempts at a narrow escape, none of which quite suffices. The Kasparov-Topalov Grand King Chase game (Wijk ann Zee 1999) is a beautiful example. Another is game 16 of the 1985 Karpov-Kasparov match, early in which game Kasparov planted a black knight on the precarious perch d3, from where it managed to control the entire board to the very end. Who in history but Kasparov could have achieved such feats against the likes of Karpov and Topalov in their prime?

I like the authors' incisive commentary, their objectivity (yes, let's be honest, even the winner of a great game occasionally makes a mistake or two along the way), and their summations. At the conclusion of each game the authors offer three one-sentence morals that nicely sum up what the game teaches.

If you thought Bobby Fischer's My 60 Memorable Games was a great chess book, I believe you'll find this 700-page mammoth of a book a perfect companion. Nearly every game in the book has been published before, but never, to my knowledge, with the extensive analysis this book offers. The authors took nothing for granted, including the published comments of the players themselves. I found greater appreciation for games that I had previously reviewed but had not well understood. This 700-page book, like the games in it, brims with creative energy and represents a majestic effort. At a price of about a dime a game, you're unlikely to find better value anywhere if you enjoy top-level chess.

I am very impressed by the quality of the annotations throughout. I am a Grade A player and likes to use a computer database to go through master games. So often the older books fail to give horribly obvious (once pointed out!!) tactical shots. This book is computer-proof. All the conclusions are well supported and I feel secure with it! A rigorous piece of chessic scholarship. And it is cheap - pity the quality of the paper shows it. Well done!